


Our Love is Timeless

by lululawrence



Category: One Direction (Band), Shawn Mendes (Musician)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Time Travel, Engineer Shawn, Fluff, I don't really know what else to put here, IMO, M/M, No Smut, Panic Attacks, Sharing a Bed, Time Travel, it's just a bunch of cuteness really, soft boyfriends
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-18
Updated: 2019-07-18
Packaged: 2020-06-30 07:30:09
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,289
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19848436
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lululawrence/pseuds/lululawrence
Summary: He rinsed out his shampoo and began to scrub at his body. Turning around to rinse his back and wash his front, Shawn was not prepared to be met with a cursing blond Irishman.Letting out a rather loud, high pitched scream and covering himself as best he could, Shawn backed up into the wall behind him, which also turned off the shower.“Thanks, mate. Was hoping not to get my clothes entirely soaked,” the man said as he began stepping out of the shower stall. “Say, what year is it?”“I...what?” Shawn sputtered. “You just show up, fully clothed, in a stranger’s shower and your first question is what year it is? How the fuck did you get in here? Why my shower? Who are you?”“Well, yeah. I guess so. I’ve not quite got a handle of the whole time traveling thing yet.”Or the one where Shawn falls for Niall, who just happens to be a time traveler. The course of true love never did run smooth.





	Our Love is Timeless

**Author's Note:**

  * For [disgruntledkittenface](https://archiveofourown.org/users/disgruntledkittenface/gifts), [myownspark](https://archiveofourown.org/users/myownspark/gifts).



> I just want to say thank you to everyone who had such patience with me in every way as I wrote this. I loved it, but it definitely took me longer to get it out than I had hoped it would. Biggest thanks go to [Maggie](https://disgruntledkittenface.tumblr.com) who, after reading the initial [drabble](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17433383/chapters/41457107) I wrote to help raise money for charity came to me and asked for more. What she said after that inspired the rest of this, so thank you! I hope it's everything you dreamed it could be. And [Cynthia](https://myownsparknow.tumblr.com), this isn't what you bid on, but I hope the tiny bit of bedsharing and the fact it's a silly Shiall fic will make you smile :D
> 
> I also need to thank my five million cheerleaders (you know who you are) and my beta, [Molly](https://becomeawendybird.tumblr.com). You're all incredible, thank you so much! All remaining mistakes are my own :D Thanks also go to the incredible mods of the rare pair fest. I really appreciate their patience with me while I figured out if I'd be able to finish this before the fest ended or not. 
> 
> The title comes from the song Timeless by Rob Thomas. This is a work of fiction, I have never met anyone mentioned in this story. Please don't share it with anyone associated with Shawn or Niall. I don't allow translations or reposting of my fic without my express permission. 
> 
> Thank you so much for reading, I hope you enjoy!

Shawn was disgusting. Or at least he  _ felt _ disgusting. Hopefully he, as a person, was not actually disgusting. He supposed that was up to debate and depended on who was asked, but he certainly tried to not be.

That said, he’d just done four hours of yard work for Mrs. Morris in the middle of August. He was covered in dirt and sweat and he was positive that at the very least he  _ smelled _ disgusting. 

Walking to the bathroom, Shawn turned the water on at just the right temperature to still feel warm but also cool enough to help him stop sweating and went back to his room to peel off his now nasty clothes. Mrs. Morris really was a sweet woman, but he needed to stop spending almost his entire weekend at her house doing yard and housework that her own children could easily do themselves.

Shawn just had such a hard time saying  _ no. _ Especially to the grandma who lived next door and always remembered his allergy to tree nuts whenever she made him cookies or brownies.

Sighing to himself, Shawn walked back to the bathroom and got into the shower. Some days he really wished he’d splurged and paid a little more to get the house that was closer to work because it had an en suite. The shower in the bedroom had seemed so indulgent at the time when he was house hunting, but it would be nice to not have to walk naked through the halls. It didn’t  _ really _ matter since he didn’t have a roommate, but it still felt a bit strange walking, balls out, between his room and the bathroom.

He rinsed out his shampoo and began to scrub at his body with the loofah his sister had gotten him for Christmas. He’d never considered using one before she got it for him, but now he could see why she insisted on it. It felt great.

Turning around to rinse his back and scrub his front, Shawn was not prepared to be met with a cursing blond Irishman.

Letting out a rather loud, high pitched scream and covering himself as best he could, Shawn backed up into the wall behind him, which also turned off the shower.

“Thanks, mate. Was hoping not to get my clothes entirely soaked,” the man said as he began stepping out of the shower stall. “Say, what year is it?”

“I...what?” Shawn sputtered. “You just show up, fully clothed, in a stranger’s shower and your first question is what year it is? How the fuck did you get in here? Why my shower? Who  _ are _ you?”

He had never really been quite so thankful that his shower stall had the smoked glass so he could only see the general outline of the intruder (and hopefully vice versa, Shawn really did want to be at least slightly covered) as he was right now.

“Well, yeah. I guess so. I’ve not quite got a handle of the whole time traveling thing yet.”

Shawn was starting to get cold with the shower turned off, so he slid the door open enough to grab his towel from the hook. Thankfully he’d already rinsed most of the soap off so he could count his shower as officially over.

Wrapping the towel around his midsection, Shawn slid the door open a bit more and peeked out. “If I come out, do you swear you won’t kill me or anything?”

The man laughed, bending forward at the waist. Now that Shawn got a better look at him, the man actually seemed more like an older teen. He looked quite young and scrawny. Maybe he wasn’t really a threat after all, but he was still a stranger who had just randomly appeared in his shower. One never could be entirely sure.

“I swear, I won’t touch ya,” the stranger finally said, holding up his hands. “I’m serious, though. What year is it?”

Shawn looked at him out of the corner of his eye, and it was then he saw the man’s eyes lingering on his torso a bit longer than usual. Interesting.

“It’s 2021,” Shawn said. “August twenty-first.”

The boys’ eyes widened. “Fuck, that’s almost ten whole years this time,” he muttered. 

“You’re serious?” Shawn asked, grabbing another towel and drying his hair, trying to figure out if it was safe to go back to his room so he could get dressed or not. His phone was in there too and, come to think of it, he would feel better with at least that near him.

“Yeah. Turned eighteen and learned I had the time traveling gene and things have been a bit fucked ever since.”

They got to talking and Shawn learned that Niall - that was the name of the rather odd Irishman - didn’t quite have control over his time traveling yet, but that he was working on it. Shawn wasn’t sure if he believed the kid, but the guy was pretty convincing and he wasn’t that much younger than himself.

“How can I prove it to you?” Niall asked. “I can tell my time here is almost done, and I really do need to get back. But seriously, what can I do to prove it?”

Shawn smirked. “Come back when it’s August twenty-first 2021 for  _ you _ as well.”

Niall smiled widely back and said, “Yeah? You’ll let me take you on a date?”

Shawn’s eyes widened, but he smiled easily. What harm would it do? There was no way this guy would show up again tonight as a completely grown man, ready to take him out to dinner.

“Yeah. It’s a date.”

Without any warning, Niall disappeared, leaving the mug of coffee Shawn had offered him to drop to the floor, shattering everywhere. Shit. That had been one of his favorite mugs.

That said, actually  _ seeing _ Niall disappear did make Shawn a little more inclined to believe his story about time traveling.

Shawn picked up the broom and was heading back to the kitchen to sweep up the shards when a knock sounded at his door. 

“Oh my God, can I just have a quiet rest of my day?” Shawn murmured. He really was quite tired after the hard labor earlier, not to mention the excitement of meeting Niall. He was very much looking forward to a quiet dinner and a movie at home. Alone. Besides, who had decided to stop by without at least texting him first?

Taking the broom with him, hoping to use it as an excuse to get the door-to-door salesman or whoever it was to leave sooner rather than later, Shawn opened the door and froze. The man standing on his doorstep looked familiar, almost like…

“Hi, it’s Niall. I’m hoping I’m not too early? I thought I remembered coming by in the afternoon, but I could be wrong. I’m here for our date.”

Shawn’s eyes grew wide and he took in the frankly  _ gorgeous _ man in front of him. He had brown hair now and he’d grown into himself in a way his scrawny little eighteen-year-old self should be proud of. 

“You were serious,” Shawn said quietly.

Niall smirked. “Course I was. I wouldn’t lie to a beautiful man like yourself.”

Blushing, Shawn invited Niall inside. After all, they had a date, right?

*~~***~~*

Shawn had always considered himself to be a bit of a loner. He liked people and had friends, of course, but he was perfectly happy alone. Generally speaking, he didn’t feel all that inclined to surround himself with people just for the sake of company. He’d only had one serious partner, and they’d broken up before graduating from college. Since then he’d gone on a few dates here or there, but he’d never really felt the need or desire to permanently attach himself to anyone.

But then Niall quite literally popped into his life. It had only been three months and Shawn was already having a hard time remembering what it was like before. What a quiet house and evenings without plans felt like. 

Not that it mattered. Even with Niall’s random disappearances, Shawn wouldn’t change it for anything.

Even if Niall was late and Shawn had big news.

Shawn went back to his room, looking in his closet to see if something nicer than his daily work casual attire had appeared in the last ten minutes when there was a crash coming from the living room followed by a very familiar voice crying, “Shit, buggering fuck!”

“Ni?” Shawn called, closing his closet door and walking towards the living room. 

“Yeah, what year is it?”

Shawn paused. Niall often jumped to different times while with him, but not since their first meeting had a Niall from a different time come to Shawn.

Slowly coming around the corner, unsure what version of his boyfriend he was about to find, Shawn said, “Uh, it’s 2021.”

Standing and looking surprised in the middle of Shawn’s living room with a broken vase partially picked up was Niall. He was older than Shawn’s Niall, wrinkles more prominent by his eyes and on his forehead. His hair was still thick, but there were streaks of silver amidst the brunette, and his fully grown, nicely trimmed beard was almost completely gray.

“No shit,” Niall said, looking around. Then his eyes grew wide. “Oh my God. This is your old place.”

Shawn narrowed his eyes. “What do you mean, my old place?”

Niall shook his head and gave the charming smile he always did when he was going to try to distract him. “Nothing! Can’t give you spoilers about your future or anything. Can’t have me giving away anything.”

“Except you already did by implying I’ve moved by the year 2035 or wherever you just came from.”

“2038, you’re very close,” Niall said with a wink. “I really didn’t mean to break this vase, though. Oh fuck, it really was me. I thought you were just saying shit to piss me off when you blamed it on me…”

“Oh my God,” Shawn said with a laugh before leaving the room to get some shopping bags to gather the glass in. “So this causes another fight?”

Niall was making noise in the hallway, and Shawn tried not to be disconcerted by the fact this man clearly remembered his way around Shawn’s house when he reappeared with the vacuum.

“You know us. Constantly bickering. But we make sure to make up for it just fine.”

Shawn closed his eyes in an attempt to ignore the fact his cheeks were burning. 

The thing was, it was true. He and Niall were constantly having little fights about things, but it was always resolved quickly and they did enjoy making it up to the other. He just wasn’t used to actually talking about it.

“Oh, fuck. You’re so adorable this young. I forgot how innocent and shy you were about sex and shit when we first got together.”

Shawn looked at Niall before kneeling down and focusing on the vase shards. He was waiting with the broom for Shawn to finish so he could sweep afterwards, which was nice at least. It was so strange to be with a Niall who obviously knew him better than his own Niall knew him.

“So what’s going on with you? How was work today? Or is it a weekend? I only know the year. It could be anytime, really.”

Shawn chuckled a little. “Work was fine. Got some good news today, actually. Am excited to share it with you, but you’re late.”

“Nice! What’s the…” Niall went quiet again and when Shawn peeked up at him, Niall had a look of realization on his face. “Oh. Oh, so much from that day makes sense now.”

Shawn knew he looked confused, but he didn’t even bother trying to hide it. “What do you mean?”

Niall was doing his signature nervous move where he rubbed the back of his head as he looked around the room and tried to pull himself together. 

“So, uh. I might be here awhile.”

“Awhile? How long might that be?”

Niall’s clear blue eyes looked right into Shawn’s and he winced. “Mind if I stay tonight?”

Blinking, Shawn tried to process what that might mean. “It’s only dinnertime. You really think he’s not coming back before then?”

Niall made an apologetic face before he said, “I know I don’t. I think I return tomorrow afternoon.”

Sighing, Shawn stood up and tied off the bags before walking out to take them to the trash can in the garage without saying a word. He stood there for a moment after having deposited the bags, hands on his hips as he tried to take everything in.

Sub-consciously Shawn had known that Niall went  _ somewhere _ and to  _ someone _ whenever he would jump. He said that sometimes it happened against his will, but most of the time he could control it. This seemed to be one of those he hadn’t planned based on the way Niall was talking. 

Well. He was disappointed he couldn’t share his big news, but it wasn’t like Shawn knew for sure anyway. It was a long process and his team was in no way guaranteed to actually win. Their submission had been sent in before he even had met Niall and they’d only heard back that they were one of the finalists now. It would take another several months with more interviews and demonstrations before they learned whether they’d been chosen.

But still. They’d developed some new charging techniques that could completely change the game when it came to battery life for not only mobile phones and tablets etc, but also for everyday household battery products. They’d worked hard to ensure it was safe and had already taken out the patent, so they knew it wasn’t something anyone else had created yet. If they were to win this competition, not only would the money allow Shawn to finally pay off the last of his student loans and still have a good amount to put away in savings, but it would look incredible on his resume. Open so many doors for him professionally.

Even with all of this, the only thing he’d wanted to do involved the only person he wanted to tell about it.  _ His  _ Niall who wouldn’t be here until tomorrow. 

Resigning himself to the fact his favorite vase was broken beyond repair and the fact that he wouldn’t be able to really celebrate his news, Shawn walked back into the house and found Niall in the kitchen.

“Please tell me you’ve learned how to season a chicken,” Shawn quipped. Just last week Niall had claimed he was waiting to add the seasonings until later, but Shawn knew he’d just not thought about it. 

“I fucking know what I’m doing in a kitchen, thank you very much,” Niall snapped, accent getting stronger. It seemed he was still sensitive about that. Good. Shawn didn’t plan to let him forget about it anytime soon. “I don’t need any help from a damn Canadian who doesn’t understand true Irish cuisine.”

Shawn chuckled to himself before walking over. “It does smell good. Whatcha making?”

“It’s a surprise,” Niall said, winking over his shoulder. “You relax and read or something. You deserve it after your day and my surprise arrival.”

Arching his brows, Shawn didn’t complain, he just backed out to the living room and settled onto the couch. He could get used to this kind of treatment.

Dinner was delicious, and Shawn enjoyed Niall’s company. Soon enough it was time for Shawn to get to bed, and it was only then that he realized this Niall, the one that wasn’t his yet, needed somewhere to sleep. He had a guest room set up, but it was still Niall. Should he offer the other bed? Would it seem forward to offer his own?

Smirking, Niall said, “I can see the gears working in that lovely head of yours. What’s up?”

Shawn scrubbed his face and sighed. “I wasn’t sure if I should assume you were sleeping with me or if I should offer the guest room.”

Niall smiled calmly, hands in his pockets, as he leaned against the doorway to the kitchen. 

“Well, that’s up to you and what you’re most comfortable with, really. I’m fine either way, so don’t feel pressured.”

Shawn rubbed the back of his neck. He really would rather Niall sleep with him. He wasn’t really okay with anything more happening, not when this Niall felt the same and yet so different from his own, but he really did sleep better when Niall was with him. He didn’t think it would be any different now.

“Stay with me?”

Nodding slowly, Niall shifted his weight to stand and nodded down the hall. “Mind if I borrow some sleep pants?”

Shawn blushed again at the idea that Niall already had a good amount of clothing he kept at Shawn’s. He had his own place, but they both preferred it when Niall stayed over.

“Yeah, you can wear some of your own stuff, actually. I’m sure you won’t mind.”

Niall did one of his full bodied laughs, and Shawn warmed. There were so many things about Niall he loved. He was glad his laugh hadn’t changed through the years, because it was definitely one of his favorite things about him.

When Shawn handed Niall a pair, he stared at them for a moment. “Shit, I loved these, and they just disappeared one day…”

Once again trailing off, Shawn studied him. He did that a lot. Shawn wondered if he was remembering things and putting missing puzzle pieces together and now things suddenly made sense again. Life must be so confusing sometimes, having things happen and learning later what the real story was. He supposed that was part of living life somewhat out of order.

“Thanks,” Niall whispered, practically petting the soft green flannel. “I’ll just get ready in the bathroom and then let you have your time.”

Shawn agreed and awkwardly waited for Niall to close the door behind him. Only then did he start stripping his clothes. Things were so normal and yet… not. He supposed that was part of dating a time-traveler. He wondered if he would ever get used to it.

Once they were both ready, Niall happily walked to his side of the bed and climbed in like there was nothing strange about it. Shawn did his best to follow suit.

“Oh man, I forgot how much I loved this bed,” Niall said happily, settling down with a content sigh.

Chuckling, Shawn turned off the light and made sure his phone was plugged in. He’d treated himself to the nicest bed he could afford when he bought the house. He figured he deserved a nice bed, and he was glad Niall liked it as much as he did.

Curling up on his side, Shawn felt a little awkward. He loved curling up to Niall and falling asleep with his head cradled somewhere around his chest and shoulder. It was soothing to hear his heartbeat as he tried to succumb to his dreams. He didn’t know what the protocol was with this Niall, though.

“Oh come here,” Niall said, making the sheets rustle as he shifted. “I sleep better when you’re cuddled up to me too, you know.”

“I keep forgetting you know me better than my Niall does,” Shawn admitted as he allowed himself to move closer to him. This Niall was a little softer than his own Niall was, but his heart sounded the same. His chest hair felt the same when he ran his fingers through it. Most importantly, he smelled the same.

“Yeah, it’s a bit of a learning curve, but you’ll get there,” Niall promised before leaning down to press a kiss to the top of Shawn’s head. “Night, my Shawny love.”

Smiling and already dozing off, Shawn mumbled a soft, “Night, Ni.”

The next morning when he woke up, the bed was still warm but the other side was empty. Other Niall’s clothes were still folded on his dresser, but the man was nowhere to be found.

*~~***~~*

Shawn was going to cry. Well, he couldn’t cry if he couldn’t breathe. So really, he should maybe focus on his breathing rather than holding back his tears, but he wasn’t really in a good place for making rational decisions. His team had chosen him to represent them and accept the award for them since the company could only afford to send one of them to California for the conference where they were finally accepting the award they’d been working towards for over a year now.

Niall had sworn he would be here. He said he wouldn’t miss it for the world, especially because he knew, he fucking  _ knew,  _ how much Shawn depended on him when his anxiety was high like this. He hated public speaking, he hated spotlights and high pressure situations. 

And here he was. They were about to announce the award that he had to go up there and accept in front of actual hundreds of specialists and CEOs of the biggest tech and engineering companies in the world. And Niall had fucking disappeared two hours ago.

Shawn was going to kill him. Well. He had to survive in order to kill Niall. Maybe he would end up haunting him instead if he couldn’t figure out a way to breathe.

Shaking so badly he wasn’t sure he would be able to make it to a quiet corner to hide himself away and pull himself together, Shawn made sure his hand was always in contact with the wall. It helped him feel a bit more steady even as he saw black spots in his vision from the oxygen his lungs were refusing to take in.

“Fuck, I didn’t do this on purpose again. What the fuck is going on?”

Shawn stopped his progress and looked up from the floor to see Niall in front of him. It wasn’t his Niall, this one was younger he thought. Hair shorter than he preferred to wear it now, but at least he was older than the first Niall Shawn ever met. Was this Niall one that would know him? Remember him?

Niall turned around and froze when he saw Shawn. “Hey, oh fuck, it’s you.” Then his eyes widened and he rushed forward and put his hands on Shawn’s cheeks. “Hey, hey, hey. I dunno what’s causing you to freak out like this, but I need you to breathe, okay? Nothing else matters. Literally it’s just you and me. That’s it, right?”

Shawn nodded to show him he was taking in everything Niall was saying, even if he couldn’t speak. Sinking down to the floor and praying that it wasn’t ruining his fancy suit trousers he’d bought just for this occasion, Shawn was pleased he hadn’t passed out yet. His knees might have given out, but he was still conscious. He would take that as a win.

“Hey, look at me, yeah?”

Niall sank down to the ground in front of Shawn, reaching out for his hands. Shawn wasn’t going to deny him that, having Niall hold him always helped him feel anchored when his anxiety attacks cropped up. He’d always found it ironic that the man who couldn’t stay in one place in time was the one who could keep him grounded during his worst times. Now wasn’t an exception.

“Can you try to breathe with me? It’s okay if you can’t at first, I just want you to try, right? We’re going to work up to deep breaths. Big one in, then back out again. Yeah, great job. Try that again.”

Shawn kept eye contact with Niall as he coached him through breathing until the worst had passed. He still felt shaky and the tears had finally come out, but he could breathe again and he wasn’t worried he was going to pass out anymore.

Breathing through his tears and trying to calm his heart, Shawn closed his eyes and said, “Thanks, Ni.”

“Sure, yeah, course.” Niall was quiet for a moment before he said, “So I actually come back, don’t I?”

Shawn couldn’t bring himself to withhold information like he normally would, teasing Niall about spoilers just like Niall loved to do to him. There was too much else going on for him to not just lose his filter entirely.

“Yeah, but you disappeared today even though you promised you wouldn’t.”

Shawn rubbed roughly at his face and was grateful the hallway they’d made it to wasn’t one with much traffic. He felt ridiculous as it was, but he would feel worse if someone else came upon them.

When he could finally see clearly despite the fact there was still a fairly steady stream of tears running down his cheeks, Shawn looked up and saw Niall with a crestfallen look on his face. 

“I’m so sorry,” he said before rubbing his forehead. “Fuck. This was my fault, wasn’t it? Cause I wasn’t here to help?”

Shawn shrugged before looking down at the floor.

“Yeah. It is,” Niall said, sounding frustrated. “Fuck.” 

Shawn sucked his lip into his mouth and worried at it with his teeth. It helped him to feel even more grounded and slowly his tears stopped. 

Niall reached out for his hands again and gripped them in his own. “Please know that I didn’t miss this on purpose. I swear to you, if I promised I’d be here, I meant to be here. I’m sorry that I wasn’t able to make it here for you earlier when he disappeared, but I’m here now and I’ll stay as long as I can, okay?”

Shawn licked his lips and nodded quickly. “I need to wash the tears off and try to pull myself together to go back in. It’s almost time.”

Niall nodded like he knew what that meant, and Shawn smiled. 

“Sure, sure. If you’re dressed like that, they probably aren’t gonna let me in like this.” Niall gestured down to his sweatpants and Eagles t-shirt, making Shawn chuckle. 

“Definitely not. But you can take the key to our room and get into the suit my Niall brought with him?”

Niall pulled back and smiled at Shawn. “That is a great idea.”

Once Niall was off, Shawn stood up on still slightly off-kilter legs and headed to the restroom to try to make himself look presentable. He was a mess, but at least he could go in and accept the award.

If he hadn’t missed it.

Shawn rushed back through the maze of hallways he’d gone through earlier before finally finding the main ballroom where the awards were being held. He slipped back in and had just sat down at his table when the director he knew would be presenting his award took the stage.

Fuck. It was nearly time. 

Shawn kept glancing towards the ballroom entrance even though he knew it would take Niall longer than just a few minutes to get into the suit and back downstairs. He couldn’t help it. Niall was his anchor, even if this wasn’t  _ his  _ Niall, and knowing he was there had him feeling more settled than he had in hours.

“And it’s thanks to this hard work and innovative thinking that the board has chosen to give this top honor of the night to Tandem Industries!”

Shawn stood up, trying to subtly rub his palms on his trousers as he made his way to the front while the rest of the room stood and drowned out the sound of his racing heart with applause.

“Thank you,” he said, shaking the older man’s hand as he also took the award from him. It was a glass trophy that was small but weighty. It was incredible that it was going to do so much for him, if all went as planned.

Shawn turned around to start his speech and was distracted by movement at the back of the ballroom. Standing there, shooting him two thumbs up was Niall. 

He took a deep breath, looked down at the award once more, and began to deliver his well-rehearsed speech.

*~~***~~*

Shawn walked back to his room, feeling a little tipsy thanks to the champagne served at the reception. He had a hard time holding wine on a good night, and he’d drunk a little too much too fast thanks to nerves. 

Niall had disappeared again about half an hour before, whispering a quick goodbye before he slipped out, likely feeling he was going to go back to his time soon. Shawn was thankful for his presence for as long as he’d been there. He didn’t know what he would have done without him, but he really did want his own Niall back.

Grateful this hotel was nice enough to have tap cards for entry to the rooms so he wouldn’t have to worry about swiping it correctly, Shawn let himself into his room and jumped when he realized it wasn’t empty.

“I’m so fucking sorry,” Niall said immediately, standing up and crossing the room to wrap Shawn in a hug. “I got back a few minutes ago, but knew based on the time I missed it. The suit’s missing too?”

Shawn sank into his boyfriend’s arms, soaking in his heat and familiarity. “Yeah, a younger you came and dressed in it to help me from having another panic attack.”

Niall tensed, and Shawn pulled back.

“What?” he asked, searching Niall’s face.

Niall looked a little spooked. “Fuck, it was tonight,” Niall whispered. “It was a younger me that didn’t know you yet, right? One who only remembered meeting you the first time?”

Nodding slowly, Shawn said, “Yeah, why?”

Closing his eyes, Niall pulled back from Shawn completely and rubbed his hands through his hair. “I should have known. I should have seen that it was obviously tonight that that happened. Then I could have warned you and prepared you for it and…”

“And changed everything, right?” Shawn asked, quietly. “What happened to spoilers? And if I’d known a younger you would have been coming, I might not have been in the hall when you appeared and found you.”

Niall huffed and walked away from Shawn. “Yeah, maybe. But still, this was important. For both of us.”

“What do you mean?” Shawn asked, incredibly confused. He walked into the room further and allowed his foggy-brained self to settle down on the king sized bed as Niall continued to pace and scratch at his hair.

“I mean, it’s because of what I saw and experienced tonight that I realized I had to return when I promised I would.”

Shawn didn’t know if it was because of the bubbles he felt like were in his blood or if Niall just wasn’t making sense in general, but he really wasn’t following. “I don’t get it, Ni. Please speak a little more clearly. I had a lot of champagne.”

With that, Niall paused and looked at Shawn fondly. “Of course you did. I’m glad. It was worthy of celebrating.” Sighing, Niall sat down beside Shawn on the bed and wrapped his arm around his shoulders. “I mean, by the time I was twenty-one or twenty-two, I was doubting myself. I wasn’t sure if a promise I made as a stupid kid was something I should take seriously and actually show up on your doorstep all those years later.”

Shawn swallowed harshly. “Oh,” he said, quietly. He wasn’t sure what else to say.

Shrugging, Niall asked, “Can you blame me? It was a few moments for you to wait, but it was almost ten years for me. And I still jumped at random sometimes, but never to you. Not until I was twenty-five.”

“Tonight,” Shawn filled in. At least that was making sense for him now, but he still didn’t feel much better about the fact he’d apparently come close to not having Niall in his life more than that one afternoon. “What about tonight changed things for you?”

Niall smiled. “You did. I saw how much our relationship meant to you, and how much my promise meant to you. I knew there was no way I could  _ not _ come back to you and experience that for myself. I knew then that the silly promise I’d made as an eighteen year old kid was one I would do everything I could to keep.”

Shawn was entirely too emotional for this. Swiping at the tears in his eyes, he whispered, “I’m glad. I’m glad you kept your promise.”

Niall leaned in for a soft kiss. “Me too. And I’m so proud of you for all your hard work and that amazing speech you gave tonight.”

Shawn rolled his eyes. “That was years ago for you. I bet you don’t even remember it now.”

Niall gasped and recoiled theatrically, making Shawn chuckle. “How very rude! My own boyfriend, calling me a liar!”

Shawn shoved at Niall’s shoulder and caused him to fall over onto the bed, his raucous laughter filling the room. Shawn would be happy for the rest of his days if it was filled with Niall’s laugh.

“Let’s move in together.”

Shawn’s eyes widened and he turned to Niall so quickly his neck popped. “I’m sorry?”

“I’m never gonna beat your polite Canadian ways out of you, am I?” Niall said with a smirk as he sat up. “I’m serious, though. Let’s move in together. I basically stay at yours all week anyway. Most of my clothes are at your place. Why not make it official?”

Shawn studied Niall’s eyes and saw them as clear and blue as they always were when he was earnest about something. “You’re being serious right now.”

“Of course I am. I’m serious about you. Why would I joke about this?”

Shawn shook his head, not knowing what else to do. “I don’t know,” he said, floundering a little. “I’m too drunk for this. I’m saying yes now, but ask me again in the morning, yeah? Today’s been a busy day.”

Niall leaned forward and crushed Shawn in a kiss, far more heated and demanding than the last. “Absolutely,” he said before pressing in for another. “Now, how shall we celebrate?”

*~~***~~*

Niall pulled the back of the moving truck down, and Shawn turned to look at his little house. It had served him -  _ them _ \- so well the past several years. He was sad to leave it behind.

As if he could tell Shawn was feeling a little emotional, Niall came up beside him and pulled him in by the waist. Shawn sighed and leaned into him a little.

“I’m excited for the new city, new jobs, all that. I am,” Shawn said, feeling like he might cry. “It’s just hard when so much happened here.”

“I know, babe,” Niall said before giving Shawn a soft kiss. “You’ve been here almost ten years. That’s a big deal. A lot of history.”

Shawn nodded in acknowledgement before closing his eyes. Taking a deep breath to steady himself, he felt like the threat of tears had passed and he stood up again. 

He focused on the house a little bit more, and then turned to Niall.

Who was no longer standing beside him, but was kneeling on the ground instead, arms outstretched with a small burgundy box held out towards Shawn.

Covering his mouth, Shawn swallowed, throat thick. The tears that had only just been a threat before definitely began to fall. 

“I was going to wait to do this when we were standing in our new place,” Niall said, sounding almost apologetic. “But now seemed right.”

“Oh my God,” Shawn whispered before falling to his knees in front of Niall as well. He reached out and covered Niall’s hands with his own and pulled him in for a quick kiss.

“I haven’t even asked you yet,” Niall said, chuckling. Tears of his own were streaking his cheek as well, though, so Shawn didn’t mind the teasing.

“Fine, go ahead and ask, then. The answer’s yes.”

Rolling his eyes, Niall moved his hands enough to get Shawn to loosen his hold so he could open the box. Inside was a simple dark grey band. Shawn had never seen anything so perfect.

“I think I’ve loved you since I was a fucking eighteen year old,” Niall said, smile wide and bright. “I definitely grew to love you in a way that was deeper and more encompassing and real than I ever imagined was possible through our years together. Will you marry me?”

Shawn nodded and leaned in for another quick kiss. “Yes, I already said I would. I wanna see if the ring fits, and then we really do need to get on the road so we can get the truck turned in before they charge us extra.”

“So romantic,” Niall said with a wink as he handed the box over for Shawn to deal with himself.

Gently pulling the ring out, Shawn admired its smooth expanse before putting it on his finger. It fit just as well as he’d hoped.

“Wait,” he said quickly, looking up at Niall. “Should I wear this on my other hand so my left is saved for the wedding band? Or how does that work? I never thought about it.”

“You can do whatever you want as long as you marry me,” Niall said, leaning in for a longer kiss this time.

Shawn let it go on as long as he could with them kneeling in the front yard of their former house.

“We really do need to go,” he whispered once he’d pulled back. 

Sighing, Niall said, “Fine. Let’s go, fiance. We’ve got a new apartment to christen with our celebrations and family to call.”

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed it. If you did, please consider leaving a kudos or a nice comment! I'd also appreciate it if you'd help spread the word by reblogging [my fic post](https://lululawrence.tumblr.com/post/186375889588/our-love-is-timeless-by-lululawrence-niall).


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